SMC vs. Calvin

Belles Prevail in Overtime Against Knights

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - In what was bound to be a hard-fought game between the Belles and Knights, the Saint Mary's College basketball team escaped victorious from Calvin's Van Noord Arena on Wednesday night by a 72-68 score in overtime.

The Knights entered the contest unbeaten in their new athletic facility and had revenge on the agenda after the Belles took their first-ever win against Calvin earlier this season. The Belles were able to gain an early lead and were up by as much as six points in the first half. The Knights, however, closed out the half by making two unanswered buckets to go up 32-31 at the break.

In the second half, the Knights took a six point lead of their own just over two minutes into the period. The game remained close throughout the half, but the Belles were able to gain some control over the game as they outscored the Knights 12-4 during a 4:20 span to take a 62-55 lead with 4:14 remaining in the second half. Calvin did not give up easily and kept things close. With four seconds left in regulation and the score at 63-60 in favor of the Belles, Sarah Partridge knocked down the game-tying three pointer to force overtime.

It appeared as though the momentum would stay in favor of the Knights in the overtime period as Partridge hit another three pointer to give Calvin a 66-63 lead, but the resilient Belles squad battled right back as they have done all season. Patsy Mahoney tied the game at 66-66 by hitting her free throw to complete a three point play. Mahoney then got her third steal of the night and made a jumper in the lane to give the Belles the lead for good as Saint Mary's hung on for a 72-68 win in their first overtime game of the season.

In a game that had eight ties and ten lead changes, the height of the Saint Mary's post players and the depth of the team proved to be key components in the outcome of the game. The Belles outscored the Knights 32-18 in the paint. Three of the Saint Mary's post players combined for 39 of the team's 72 points. The players off of the Saint Mary's bench also held an edge over the Knights' players off of the bench in scoring with a 31-23 margin.

Patsy Mahoney, Erin Newsom, Anna Kammrath, and Kelley Murphy each scored a game-high 13 points in the Belles' ninth conference win and 11th overall victory of the season. Maggie Ronan added 12 points of her own in the balanced scoring effort for Saint Mary's.

The Belles (11-7, 9-1 MIAA) remain tied atop the MIAA standings with Hope College. Saint Mary's is slated to square off with Hope at the DeVos Fieldhouse this upcoming Saturday, January 31. The tip-off is set at 3:00 p.m. to determine the top team in the league.

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